Interwar Period

FASCISTS AND NAZIS

Dictatorship: The Allied leaders hoped very much that democracy would spread to most European countries. But many of them had difficulties. One man with the support of a political party took complete control. We call such a man a dictator. The people wanted a change, so they were happy with the dictator doing positive things to the country, but when they wanted to protestthey couldn’t because the dictator had stopped free elections, banned certain newspapers and created a powerful police force which he used like a private army.
European dictators: The most famous dictators in the 1930s and 1940s were Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler.
The Popularity of Dictators: Millions of people voted for Hitler, because dictators were popular in that time, these were the reasons:1. Economic Problems: People became badly discontented if they suddenly become poorer. This happened when the prices raised and when people become unemployed. American who owned stocks and shares were ruined by the Wall Street Crash’’ in 1929, this fact marked the year of the Great Depression. In 1921 the largest Austrian bank announced that they would not be able to repay the money thatpeople had invested. In America and Europe, firms very quickly went bankrupt banks closed, international trade slows down. No business = No Job = People unemployed = People became poor = People angry with the government = Dictators promised to put things right.
2. National Glory: Hitler and Mussolini promise to restore the pride and glory of their countries in the eyes of the world.
Mussolinithe Man: Benito Mussolini was the first of the European dictators. He became dictator of Italy in 1922. In his early years, he was a teacher, and then he became a soldier in the First World War and a journalist. He also had a certain air of authority and people came to have confidence in him.
Mussolini’s seizure of power: In 1919 Mussolini formed the Fascist party. They were the bundles of rodsand an axe carried in ancient Rome as symbols of authority. He used the fasces as his symbol to show that he was going to revive the glories of the Ancient Roman Empire. In 1922 Mussolini and his Fascists took control of the government (Italy had a series of weak government). Mussolini’s followers organized the ‘‘March on Rome’’. The king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, invited him to be primeminister. Soon, he had all the powers of a dictator.
The aims and achievements of Fascism
1. Violence and discipline: Mussolini’s followers wore a uniform of black shirts. One act of violence that shocked all people around the world was, the murdered of Benito’s opponent, the Socialist politician, Matteotti, in 1924.
2. The corporative state: Mussolini promise to bring discipline to Italy,because they were in a chaotic condition. The people preferred what Benito promised instead of the communists. The principal idea of Fascism was that the government should control the whole of a person’s life. ‘‘Outside the state no human or spiritual values can exist’’. The government took firm control over education, newspapers, trade unions, even sport. Newspapers were censored and opponents ofthe government were imprisoned. The government came to be run by the Fascist Grand Council instead of the elected parliament. Workers and professional people were forced to join corporations controlled by the government, this system was called ‘‘the corporative state’’. Mussolini took the tile of ‘‘Duce’’ or Leader. Slogans everywhere convincing people that the Fascist government benefited them.‘‘Mussolini is always right’’.
3. The Lateran Treaty: People that weren’t fascinated with the Fascist Idea were influenced by this treaty. Mussolini signed with Pope Pius XI in 1929 that recognized Roman Catholicism as the only official religion of Italy but more importantly, Mussolini show that he was recognized by the Pope. He became respectable for this fact.
4. The economy: Mussolini...